WGP agenda/policy is to stand in as many places as possible irrespective of the prospects of our or anybody else’s candidates. This is incompatible with the an alliance with the propsoed groups and weakens our chances of making a difference in Westminster. You can’t have it both ways.

Locally Pembrokeshire Green Party decided not to stand against the good guys when making our decision on a shortlist of which areas to target for the general election. Maybe the WGP should consider doing something simlar when or if it considers alliances.

I’m looking at this from a Scottish point of view; I accept that the situation here differs in certain respects from that in Wales, but I’m convinced the similarities greatly outweigh the differences.

The decision by the Scottish Green Party to follow the logic of its own structural position and back a Yes vote in the recent referendum has been hugely beneficial in terms of public recognition, membership numbers and activist morale. Involvement in the RIC (Radical Independence Campaign) has likewise pushed the party towards a far more coherent and self-confident ‘Left’ position. The serious work of convincing the general public that environmentalism is only one part of a broader & deeper commitment to social justice starts now.

These islands need real social change, not middle-class bunny-loving anthropomorphism. If the Greens are ever going to feature as serious political players, then adjusting our thinking to the ‘System Change not Climate Change’ model is essential; in Wales, the first internal system change has to be stepping out of the GPEW shadow, standing on your own two feet and working with Plaid wherever possible. The Union is an imperialist anachronism. Get over it.